He also reveals that before leaving the soap, he’d become unhappy with the dark storylines his character was getting, when he thought he’d initially been brought into the soap to provide some comic relief.

“My character got more and more miserable. I just don’t think they’ve got the writers for gags on that show. They need a few more jokes.”

Despite its former cast member’s protests it’s time for it to throw in the towel, the soap’s 30th anniversary celebrations - which included a much-hyped ‘live week’ - were lauded by critics and viewers earlier this year.